Thursday, July 09, 2009

Thursday Thanks Tank #95

Every week I take time to make a thankful list. This list is my Thanks Tank.

I am thankful for:

Vacation: I have admit that I probably said something about wanting a "real" vacation before we went on our vacation to visit family. My vacation proved itself to be much more than I expected. It was relaxing (yes, we had some down time), refreshing (southern food and family - need I say more?), and exciting (it was incredible to see the cousins playing together). We had a fabulous time with our families.

Family: This goes hand-in-hand with the last item. I am thankful for all of the family that I got to spend time with on our vacation. The time was precious.

Friends: I am thankful for my friends. I had friends that lent me portable DVD players (we had two, which proved to be perfect for our plane rides). Friends of ours got our mail and watered our garden (yes, folks, we have our very first vegetables growing!). Friends of ours got together to see us when we were in TN. Friends of ours in the NW made us feel loved and missed. I am blessed by my friends.

Cherry Limeades:Oh my, I was addicted to these when I was in TN. I am thankful for them because they were quite the treat at the end of a hot day. I must have had 4 or 5 of these on our trip.

Benedryl: I am thankful for Benedryl. We had to use it on more than one occassion on our trip. I am not happy about that but I am thankful for this medicine that treats allergies.

Video games: My boys often drive me crazy playing video games or wanting to play them. However, when planned carefully (like today), you can get your children to complete chores and save their "screen time" until their sister's naptime. For today, anyway, I am thankful for video games and the quiet they have provided me.

Books: I took time to read a bit this afternoon while the boys were playing and the little one was napping. I love reading and I often forget to make time for it. Righ tnow I am reading The Secret Life of Bees. I finished My Sister's Keeper on the plane (yep, Elsie slept some!). It isn't Jodi Piccolt's best book but I enjoyed it and I will most likely see the movie sometime.

Cookies: I am thankful for cookies... not for eating them (which is quite enjoyable) but for how much I enjoy making them. The day before we left for our trip, I was packing and organizing like a mad women. I was begginning to stress so... I made a batch of cookies (yes, yes, from scratch). After that, I felt wonderful. There is nothing like baking to make me happy. (OK- Starbucks makes me really happy, too.) Just for the record, I baked about 3 batches of cookies (2 different kinds) on our trip and another batch of cookies yesterday.

Everyday Lessons: Iam constantly learning. I love it when I recognize a lesson in an ordinary situation. I am thankful for a few things I have learned this past week. I am thankful for how God reveals something to me in a situation, in something I read, or in something I see my kids doing.

These things and many others are filling up my grateful heart. Take time to be thankful today. You will benefit from it.

This is a really great list, JJ. I'm sorry about the benadryl but also thankful that it is available to all those with allergies, including my Mazi...we probably would have lost her without it! I also LOVE to bake. Luckily, I give most to Greg to take to his work and they are gone by the next day. :):) I feed them AND get my baking fix.

So glad you had a great visit in TN. Cherry limeades are my favorite too. Maybe I need to go get one today. :)Glad you had time to read. I enjoyed Secret Life of Bees, too. By the way, your book from me is finally on its way to you . . . after a long delay I can only attribute to lazy days of summer.

I love your last item most of all. I love it, too, when God chooses to teach me through the lives of my children.